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It was open mic night at the coffee shop on campus. I felt weird going there, mainly because I knew Regina was going to be there and we hadn't spoken to each other in about a week, but also for knowing I was getting up on stage and anything could go wrong. I saw her across the room as I entered the shop, I made sure to proceed the rest of the way undetected. I didn't want her to know I was there, yet. When the show started, I hung out near the stage. Every so often I could hear the magical jingle of her laughter, but I didn't look her way. The act before me received tons of snaps. I took a deep breath and stepped on stage. I found Regina in the crowd, the look on her face a mixture of confusion and amusement. I smiled.
"Umm, hi. My name is Emma." I began as some music played softly in the background. I took a deep breath, I had to get this right. "Most of you probably don't know me, that's okay. I'm going to tell you a story. It’s kind of long, but if you stick around long enough, I promise there's a surprising ending."
With all eyes on me, I retold the story of how Regina and I met in May of our Senior year. We had known of each other, but never really took the time to really get to know the other. I didn't care about school; I was failing just about everything. She was one of the smartest kids in our grade. I liked being a rebel, getting into trouble, doing things I shouldn't do. She was Miss Goody-two-shoes.
"I had to repeat the 12th grade. The night she graduated, I got booked for vandalism. Being only 17 at the time, I think I lucked out. They called my parents, they picked me up, I got 60 hours of community service." Regina was so pissed when she found out, I think more that I missed her big moment. We were inseparable that summer, if I wasn't at work, or doing my community service, I was with Regina. She spent plenty of nights at my house. We were still just friends then. It wasn't until late July that we actually got together.
"I know you think I don't remember that night, the night I asked you to be my girlfriend, but I do. I remember that night clearly." I locked eyes with her in the crowd. "It was 2 weeks after your car accident, my parents and I had gotten into a huge fight. They kicked me out that morning before I went to work. I didn't say anything to you, because I didn't want you to worry. You had enough going on. Instead of coming over to your house after work like I usually did, I headed out with a friend." I got trashed that night. "You went over to my parents’ place looking for me, I guess they told you they kicked me out. You asked if you could grab some clothes for me, and surprisingly, they allowed it." She had drove around for an hour looking for me before she finally did.
"I believe the word you used was belligerent. We drove around for hours. Sometimes I wish I didn't remember that night. I said a lot of mean things to you. Things that, to this very day, I regret and wish I could take back. You told me you loved me. I cried because I didn't understand what a screw up like me ever did to deserve you.” I smiled, hoping that she remembered how special that night was to us. “There were many firsts that night."
That fall, she started college. She was about 2 hours away, and she came home every weekend. I started 12th grade, again. "I dropped out in October. You called me an idiot. I worked every day, saw you when you came home on the weekends. That was my life." The rest of year was pretty much the same. If we weren't at work, we were with each other. When she went back to school after winter break, I followed her. I worked 2 jobs, she went to class. Her parents paid for the apartment, so we didn't really have any bills to worry about. I was able to save most of my paychecks, which was something I had never been able to do before.
"Fast forward almost 2 years later. We got into an argument last week. I said things that I regret. You told me to get my shit together, and then called me an idiot when I left.” The ring suddenly felt like a weight in my pocket. Oh God, what if she said no. "You're right. I am an idiot. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, I still don't know what I did to deserve you. You make me want to be a better person. Regina, babe, this is me, getting my shit together." I stepped down off the stage, and began walking in her direction.
"I love you. I have since the moment we met. Yes, I'm an idiot," I approached her table, pulling the ring box from my pocket. I got down on one knee, "but if you'll have me, I'd like to be your idiot for the rest of my life." I pulled the lid up. "What do you say, babe? Will you marry me?" The crowd around us waited on baited breath, but in that moment, all I saw was her. She looked down at me with watery eyes.
“Yes.”